New TDI Audis Are Still Failing Europe's Emissions Tests

After Volkswagen agreed to a massive $15 billion deal to fix or buy back diesels equipped with emissions-cheating software, we hoped the scandal was winding down. It had been more than a year since the news broke, and most of the focus was on how much Volkswagen would pay out, not further investigations. But now it looks like the latest Audi A3 still pollutes too much, which potentially indicates that Volkswagen Group isn't done dodging emissions regulations.

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Automotive News reports that in lab tests run by the European Commission's Joint Research Center and witnessed by Reuters, the Audi A3's nitrous oxide emissions were far too high. The results showed the A3 releasing 163 mg of NOx per kilometer, more than double the 80 mg allowed.

A separate test found that from a cold start, the A3's NOx emissions were within acceptable levels. But when the engine warmed up, that figure jumped to 140 mg per kilometer. That disparity has raised questions with regulators.

"The differences between cold start and hot start are hard to explain," Bas Eikhout, a European lawmaker investigating the scandal, told Automotive News.

Audi responded, saying "independent measurements" show the A3 complies with emissions regulations. The automaker also claimed it doesn't have enough information on the JRC's tests to comment.

The European Commission isn't ready to punish Audi just yet, though. A spokesperson said the testing is still in the early stages, and "if the test results raise some suspicion of wrongdoing, such as the installation of prohibited defeat devices, they will be shared with all relevant approval authorities."

Last month, Volkswagen reached an agreement with U.S. regulators to buy back or fix nearly 80,000 3.0-liter diesels used in some Audis, Porsches, and Volkswagens. Still, the German automaker faces both lawsuits and criminal prosecution in the U.S. We can't imagine that news of further emissions issues will help its case.

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